Take this Class in June....

KC PMC Guild member, Susan Breen Silvy, is sponsoring a class by Debbie Rijns from South Africa. This class will be amazing. Check out some of the photos of Debbie's work here.

Making Connections with the World of Nature

You will see nature through different eyes after taking a class from Debbie

Rijns who hails from Cullinan, South Africa, where they find the really BIG

diamonds! Her PMC work is rich with the influence of nature bringing simple,

natural materials to a place of exquisite prominence. Her ethnic jewelry

celebrates the wonder of nature and the beauty of its pattern, texture and form.

Check out her Flicker photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mudstudio/

Debbie excels at making PMC components and attachments to capture natural

materials that she discovers along her walks. Each piece of her work has a

wonderful story which you will love hearing in her soft, gentle voice. Her

explanation of the natural materials she uses such as Mopani worm cocoons, sea

bamboo, porcupine quills, bird bones and ostrich eggs come with where she found

them, how she gathered them, their use in the South African culture and what

visual inspiration she had to create such a piece. It will open your eyes to

the design opportunities around you!

"I have always had an adventurous spirit and love what nature has to offer. It

excites me when I find that odd, quirky thing that someone else would just

overlook, and turn it into a piece of jewelry. I guess I have a gift, being

able to see things in a lateral way. My father always said to me that just

because a tin can is a tin can, it doesn't have to be just a tin can. I guess

that is one of the best lessons I ever learned, and that's why I see what I

see." – Debbie Rijns

In this two day-class, two projects will be worked on using natural materials

that Debbie will supply from South Africa; a Mopani worm cocoon pendant and a

Porcupine Quill spoon and ostrich egg spoon rest. The spoon and spoon rest are

similar to the design that Debbie was commissioned by the South African

government to create as gifts for visiting dignitaries. In this class you will

be become aware of the design issues that need to be addressed when combining

metal clay and natural materials, learn connection techniques and how to view

nature as an unending source of inspiration.

If you would like to come to this fabulous class:

1. Please paypal your deposit to Susan at SusanBreenSilvy@yahoo.com

2. Also email me at JenFinley@aol.com that you would like to participate so I get a head count.

Susan will not be responding to her emails for a while and I will be helping her out.

Class Details:  Making Connections with the World of Nature

Instructor: Debbie Rijns, PMC South Africa

Date: Saturday June 16 & Sunday June 17

Where: The Office Studio, 5800 NW Prairie View Road, Kansas City, MO 64152

Cost: Class is $235 plus $35 for the kit (does not include PMC)

To register: please paypal your deposit to Susan at SusanBreenSilvy@yahoo.com

Contact: Jennifer Finley at JenFinley@aol.com

Class Details: what to bring, etc.

May Meeting Report

We had a small crowd last night – sorry if my late information caused anyone trouble….

Here’s what you missed….

Gale demonstrated putting a metal clay bezel around a piece of pottery or china. NOTE: transfer-ware works best. Some glazed pottery loses color upon high-temp firing, so test fire the pottery first or you may end up with a color-less piece! This sample - which is still adorable - originally also had a lot of dark pink, which almost completely faded.

Tips from Gale:

• Cut a “window” in the back to prevent tearing or pull-away

• Designs that span the top of shard must be anchored (with slip, not just water) to 2 or more locations of the bezel or it will straighten and shrink away from the bezel
• Wide bezels that wrap over the shard can tear upon firing. She recommends adding clay inside bezel instead. (Think window glazing….) Note the tiny tear in lower left of  photo.....

• Use thin strips of clay rather than syringe clay for more precise, even look.

Those who came to the Saturday workshop at Lynette’s house saw this first….an easy and cheap way to make a metal clay turntable…..we brought beads and condiment cups last night, so everyone took one home.

Here’s a link to Wanaree Taylor’s blot – she a metal clay artist and the condiment cup spinner was her idea. http://artwarebywanaree.blogspot.com/2012/02/make-your-own-metal-clay-turntable.html . I think I’m going to glue the top of a cup to the center of a 6” square piece of matboard – so it’s less tippy.

Cecelia brought a pasta machine, some pieces of take-out box Styrofoam and leaves. Everyone present played with making a nice, FLAT texture plate. NOTE: the 2-part silicone we used last night was slightly sticky and hard to roll - it made you hands feel oily and wanted to cling to the rollers. 

Cecelia used a cheap product she found at Hobby Lobby and said it was very easy to use!

 This one went through the pasta machine a 2nd time, with a thin leaf. Do not change the thickness setting, or the texture material may embed into the silicone.

We were using pens, pencils and stylus on the foam - 

Then mix the putty, flatten slightly and run through the pasta machine - using the thicker settings. Lay the putty over your design and using a brayer or acrylic roller, roll ONCE and step away until the molding compound sets. Don't try to re-roll or you'll get shadows or imprecise images.

When the putty has set (test with your fingernail - if it doesn't leave an impression, its done.) 

May Day! May Day!

May is speeding on and my days are filling fast, with graduations, gardening and out of town visitors. Oops! And the May KC PMC Guild meeting is tomorrow night! (Tuesday, May 15).

Gale will continue teaching us her techniques - this time on capturing a shard of pottery or china in PMC. Bring some clay and a piece of pottery you want to use in your project.

 We will also have a BONUS hands-on activity. Cecelia will show us how she made her custom texture plates using 2-part molding silicone. Bring some meat tray foam and a pencil or stylus. Silicone provided.